Speaking for the first time since the Oscar winner went public about her surgery Tuesday, Pitt said he's 100 percent supportive of his partner taking steps to reduce her risk of cancer, which runs in Jolie's family.

"Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie's choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic," he told London's Evening Standard. "I thank our medical team for their care and focus."

Given that her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at age 56, the 37-year-old actress chose to be "proactive" and "minimize the risk" so she could be there in the future for the couple's six children.

Jolie subsequently underwent three operations between February and April that saw tissue from both breasts removed. However she was able to keep the nipple, thanks to what she described was a painful procedure called a "nipple delay" followed by reconstruction with implants.